Want to celebrate and promote online privacy awareness, but think a whole month of it is just excessive? Then
Data Privacy Day,
or Data Protection Day as it’s known in Europe, could be the day for you.

Held on January 28 each year since 2007, Data Privacy Day is an international effort to
“create awareness
about the importance of privacy and protecting personal information.”
In the U.S., it’s even a national day designated by Congress. Don’t expect any time off work, though.

Find out what happens each year on Data Privacy Day.

Data Privacy Day started in Europe

What Americans know as Data Privacy Day is actually an extension of a European Council initiative called Data Protection Day, started by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. In 2016, Data Protection Day
turned ten years old.

In Europe, Data Protection Day aims to “raise awareness about the protection of personal data in Europe and beyond.”

Because of the growing importance of online privacy,
other countries soon jumped on board.
DPD is now a global event recognized in the USA, Canada, 27 European countries, and other nations, too.

Why is Data Privacy Day on January 28?

January 28 isn’t just an arbitrary date. It’s the anniversary of the signing of Convention 108, a cornerstone of European data protection law. Convention 108 was also the
first legally binding international treaty on privacy and data protection.

“Data privacy and cybersecurity are deeply intertwined,”
said
NCSA Executive Director Michael Kaiser in 2011. “Everyone is safer and more secure when people protect their own information and take responsibility to protect the information that others have entrusted to them.

“Everyone is safer and more secure when people protect their own information...”

Get involved with Data Privacy Day

Data Privacy Day promotes awareness by engaging companies and individuals alike. Here are some of the ways you can get involved.

Become a champion:
DPD runs a
Champions program
as a way for companies and individuals to officially show their support. DPD Champions are “dedicated to respecting privacy, safeguarding data and enabling trust.” Organizations can champion the cause by spreading word about privacy on their websites and educating their employees. Individuals can champion the cause by spreading awareness through social media and attending events and workshops.

Share knowledge:
DPD encourages individuals to create a culture of privacy awareness at home, work, and in their communities. People can get involved by teaching co-workers about privacy, helping their families become aware of digital privacy issues, and volunteering at local schools and community centers.

Promote DPD online:
Where better to promote online privacy than... online? Data Privacy Day provides memes, hashtags, and banners to help supporters get the message out.

Take part in events:
DPD also spreads its message through online and offline events.
Among DPD’s 2017 slate were a day-long
kickoff event
at the Twitter Headquarters, a talk at Stanford Law School called “Government Hacking: Assessing and Mitigating the Security Risk,” and a conference in Brussels called “The Age of Intelligent Machines.”

Privacy resources at your fingertips

DPD isn’t just about building awareness, though. The website also provides information to help people protect their online data. The DPD website hosts a
resource library
with videos, fact sheets, and infographics packed with inside tips to help keep your data safe.

Data Privacy Day: A growing movement

In 2018, 926 media stories mentioned DPD, an increase of 52% from 2017. The #PrivacyAware and #DataPrivacyDay hashtags were used more than 33,000 times in January 2018.

DPD is creating privacy-aware citizens

With more threats to our privacy than ever before, individuals need to know how to value and protect their personal data. Data Privacy Day is spreading that awareness and providing practical guidance on how to stay safe online.